Toothbrush
by Whilom
Summary: And she would say, "Jackie. There’s no reason to steal your own toothbrush anymore." Because I would take it and I would put it in my sock drawer….


**A/N:** This is a little fic based off a quote that I think is in the extended version of the movie (the clip can be found online, on the FB website). It had an interesting backstory so obviously I couldn't let it alone.

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_"When Evelyn took me in, it was no different for me until she caught me with my pockets all full. And she tried to explain to me what it meant to be adopted and what it meant to have a family, what it meant to have a last name. And she would say, 'Jackie. There's no reason to steal your own toothbrush anymore.' Because I would take it and I would put it in my sock drawer..."_

"Jack?"

Jack froze, swallowing past the lump in his throat. This was the end. He'd be caught and it would all be over, he'd be sent back to the group home and then shipped somewhere else. He turned slowly and put his hands behind his back, a look of confused innocence on his face.

Evelyn was standing in the doorway of his room, her mouth folded in a thin line as though she suspected something but wasn't going to say anything about it yet. Did she know? Or did she just guess? She might not have seen him take it….

Evelyn noticed the way he had tightened up when he heard his name and she also noticed the small motion of his hand as he turned around. She'd figured out over the past week or so that Jack was a very accomplished thief and would know better than to make such an obvious motion as to put his hands behind his back. She must have caught him off guard because he had his hands behind his back now and his eyes were as wide as saucers. She watched him struggle to swallow and felt a tug at her heart. What she really wanted to do was to scoop him in her arms and tell him that everything was going to be okay. But that wouldn't be best for Jackie. They needed to deal with this or nothing was going to change.

"Jack, what—"

"Hey, Ma!"

Evelyn let out an exasperated breath as she heard her name from downstairs. She didn't want to let this opportunity pass. "I'll be right down, Angel," she called down the hall and then fixed her attention on Jack again. "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back," she said, holding him with a serious look that rooted him to the floor until she left.

She knew. Oh, help, she knew.

But still… She might not hurt him if she didn't find it with him. Well, if he couldn't run, he could at least hide. Jack waited until he heard the top step creak before he whipped around and rifled through his sock drawer, shoving his pockets' contents into it until he heard Evelyn's voice moving up the stairs. He'd have to cover for himself and pray she wouldn't notice. Stuffing his socks back in, he fervently hoped they'd be enough. He only had six because that was how many the store sold in a pack but he could lock the door after she'd left so no one would go through his stuff. And after all, who would look for valuables in a sock drawer?

He'd just closed the drawer when he heard Evelyn behind him. The knot in his stomach hardened, rising to his chest so it was hard to breathe. Any second now, she'd ask…

"Jack," Evelyn said casually, "Angel went out and your other brothers seem to have disappeared. Would you mind helping an old woman with the dishes?" She smiled warmly.

Jack narrowed his eyes slightly without thinking of what he was doing. He was considering her offer and trying to decide whether it was an actual choice or a cleverly veiled command. He decided to risk it.

"I don't really want to."

Evelyn sighed. She had expected as much, but she'd wanted to talk with him about this incident while they were doing something constructive together so it wouldn't seem so much like an attack. She was certain that he was hiding something and wanted to help him understand…

"Well, I'd like to talk to you for a bit."

She stepped forward and Jack automatically stepped back, bumping into his dresser.

"About what?" he asked warily.

"Oh, just a little discussion, about school and friends and things like that. I'd like to know how you like it here, Jack. And if you had anything on your mind, or anything you need."

A discussion. Evelyn had said they were going to have a discussion. That usually had something to do with yelling and blood. He didn't want to have a discussion. The toothbrush was his, she'd said it was. He felt a cold trickle of sweat roll down the nape of his neck. The problem was the other things in the drawer and in his pockets. She hadn't said those were his. In fact, he was pretty sure they weren't.

"Jack?"

_Definitely_ sure they weren't.

His eyes widened. Evelyn crouched down in front of him and reached out to take him by the shoulders. He flinched and closed his eyes tightly, turning his head away. It was a moment before he opened his eyes to see Evelyn's concerned face. Jack relaxed a little. She wasn't hurting him—yet. But she was looking into his eyes like she could see something…. He swiftly pushed his hands over his pockets as though to cover them. They were bulging with everything from loose change to dollar bills—anything he'd been able to get his hands on over the past week. He only had two pairs of jeans but every morning he transferred the money into the ones he was going to wear. He dared a glance down and saw the corner of a wadded up bill sticking out of his pocket. He tore his eyes from it in time to see that Evelyn had followed his gaze down. Angry, frustrated tears welled up in his eyes. He had never been able to keep up the charade, which nearly always got him sent back to the group home. But he was ten now, almost eleven, his chances at adoption slim to none. Worse, he'd just messed up his last chance at a decent place. If Evelyn had suspected before, she knew now.

"Jack," she began quietly, "what is this?"

He didn't answer, only stared at her for a quick minute before shifting his gaze to the floor. He was biting his lip to keep the angry tears from falling.

"Jack, answer me." She let go of his hands and began emptying his pockets, letting the valuables pile on the floor without a care. Her watch, a few earrings, bills and loose change made a pile that seemed to press on Jack's shoulders the higher it grew. Evelyn looked at the amassed amount with shock. She had thought he was a clever thief but she hardly knew that he had taken this much…. Without saying a word, she leaned over his crouched form and opened his drawer, pulling out the money he'd been able to stash in there as well as the toothbrush at the bottom. Jack was panicked to see that the toothbrush seemed to shake her far more than anything else had. What kind of woman became more distraught over a kid stealing a toothbrush than jewelry?

He should run. His instinct told him to run. But, instead of running, Jack found himself crumpling on the ground next to that awful pile, hugging his knees to his chest. The look of disappointment on Evelyn's face was more hurtful than he would have thought."What is this?" she asked, ignoring the other things and holding out the toothbrush, her face looking as though he had slapped her and she was trying not to cry.

"You said it was mine," he supplied, his voice hardly more than a whisper.

"It is yours. You live in a family where nobody's going to take anything from you, Jack. Nothing you don't want to give." She held him at arm's length and bent her head to look into his eyes. "So why did you hide this in your sock drawer?" Jack tried to twist out of her hands but she tightened her grip on his shoulders and said firmly, "Look at me, Jack. Hey, you look at me."

He raised his eyes to hers slowly.

"You're safe now," she whispered. "Jackie. There's no reason to steal your own toothbrush anymore. You understand me?" She raised her eyebrows to encourage a response.

He didn't answer.

Her voice became more commanding. "Do you understand me, Jack Mercer?"

He swallowed and nodded.

"Alright then." She straightened. "We'll have no more of that, then, will we?"

Jack shook his head mutely and took the offered toothbrush from Evelyn's hand very slowly. He watched carefully as she left the rest and went downstairs, pausing to swipe at her face as she turned the corner as though there was something on it. He peeked around the doorway to make sure she was gone and then gathered the pile in his shirt and carried it to her room to arrange it on her bed. He felt lighter without having to carry it all around anymore; but it was more than just that, he realized, when he put the toothbrush back in the bathroom drawer. _Jack Mercer._ He had a last name that finally seemed to fit him. It felt good. Just as good as it felt to let go of his toothbrush and walk away. It would still be waiting for him whenever he needed it. Just like his last name.

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**A/N: **Yes, I admit it, super fluffy ending. But really, how else should this thing be ended? ;) Enjoy? Review! 


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